The Natalie Trusdale Blog: self-esteem building articles for your growth

“Love yourself” is one of the most common pieces of advice we hear. And one of the least helpful. Because when you already feel not good enough, self-critical, or unsure of your worth, being told to “just love yourself” can feel vague at best and shaming at worst, as if there’s yet another thing you’re […]

Most conversations about body image focus on how we feel about ourselves in isolation, what we think when we look in the mirror, how we judge our appearance, or how we feel when we see photos of ourselves. But body image doesn’t stay contained inside us. It quietly shapes how we show up in our […]

You might notice it quietly at first. Your body hasn’t changed, but your thoughts feel sharper. Clothes sit differently on your skin, even when they technically fit the same. Mirrors feel louder. Photos feel heavier. You catch yourself avoiding your reflection, or studying it longer than usual, trying to figure out what went wrong. It […]

You open your camera roll to delete a few photos, and freeze. There it is: a picture that makes your stomach drop. Your smile looks off. The angle’s unflattering. A familiar thought slides in before you can stop it: I look awful. Suddenly, you’re in a spiral. You check mirrors, change outfits, promise to ‘get […]

It’s hard to feel confident in your body when you’re constantly thinking ‘I hate my body’, tugging at your jeans, wishing you looked different and felt more confident. The waistband feels tighter than yesterday. Maybe you send a quick message in the group chat: Ugh, I hate my body today. Someone replies with the same, […]

Let’s talk about confidence for a minute! In the group chat, you’re the first to cheer. You notice the details other people miss, you write the perfect hype paragraph, you drop the confetti emoji. Then someone praises you and your brain stalls. You minimise, redirect and suddenly feel exposed.  That whiplash has a name: the […]

If you struggle with body confidence or carry even a trace of body shame, accepting compliments can feel more like a trap than a gift. Maybe you’ve noticed it: you receive a kind word about how you look, or how you showed up, and your first instinct is to deflect. You might laugh, but your […]

You’re getting ready for the day. Maybe it’s a work meeting, a dinner with loved ones, or just a quick trip to the store. You glance in the mirror to check your hair, and suddenly, the spiral starts. Ugh. My stomach looks huge.Why do I look so tired?I should’ve stuck to that workout plan. You […]

You finally sit down.Hot tea in hand, your favorite blanket pulled over your lap, a new book read and waiting, and then it hits. The self-care guilt. That voice. Shouldn’t I be doing something right now?Is this lazy? Am I just being selfish? Sound familiar? If you’re feeling guilty for taking time for yourself, you’re […]

Tired of constantly comparing yourself to other women? You open Instagram, and there she is again. Flawless skin. Smiling kids. Perfectly styled kitchen. And somehow, she’s running a business on the side and still managing to look like she’s just stepped out of a wellness retreat. You know you shouldn’t compare… but something about her […]